Of My Past Life
by x-Punch-Buggy-Red-x
Summary: A/U. Max is a 16yr old girl searching for the past she can't remember. Her only clue is the monkey tail that has left her an outcast of society. Vegeta, Nappa and Raditz have been sent to earth by Frieza. What will happen when the two paths cross?
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Dragonball Z or any of it's characters...but I do own Max, she's mine...

So thanks for reading people, and stay tuned, if people like this and it gets good reviews (hint hint ;) ) then there will hopefully be some Vegeta mclovin later on...but not toooo much later on, I just can't get enough of him hehe. And bear in mind this is my very first fic so if it sucks and blows then please let me know what I can do to change it...don't shoot me, that's never a good thing...

Hope you enjoy :)

You know the feeling that you get when you're trying desperately to remember something, but you just can't? And sometimes, if you think about it long enough, you'll get flashes of what it is you're supposed to be remembering, but as soon as they're gone, you have no idea what you just saw? Horrible, isn't it? Have you ever experienced this when trying to remember whole chunks of your life? I have. My name, as far as I know, is Max. No second name. Not that I can remember anyway. I was found wandering the streets of Paris when I was eight years old, although I was unable to speak a word of French, only English, and I had an accent that nobody could place. Some experts said that they thought the only possible explanation for it was that I must have moved around a lot as a youngster. Not exactly helpful when you're trying to find out who you are and where you came from. My parents must have been travellers, they said. Gypsies. Although I preferred to think of them as wanderers. And I was Max, their wandering daughter. When I was found all those years ago, I was thrown into an orphanage in the back of beyond, in middle America, where they would take me without question. Which was lucky, considering that I was not exactly a normal child, on the inside or out.

Of course, they said I was cute. Pretty, even. But nobody would ever want me. After all, who would want a mutant when they had their pick of a hundred healthy, normal, perfect little children? Who would ever choose the quiet little girl in the corner, the one with the dirt on her face and the long, brown,monkey tail peeking out of the bottom of the sack that was her clothing? Apparently nobody, because I stayed in that orphanage until I was sixteen years old. I left on my own, with no family, no home, no roof over my head and no money in my pockets. But I was free, for the first time in as long as I could remember. I was free to do some searching, some wandering, free to find out who I really was.

That's how I met them.

Three days after I had been kicked out of the orphanage, three days after my sixteenth birthday, I found myself wandering around the crowded streets of North City. The orphanage had been a fair distance away from any kind of civilisation, and as a testament to how cold it was, there was about six inches of snow on the ground. God knows how I survived the journey, I'm sure if I had been any kind of normal child I wouldn't have. Maybe that was the idea. Maybe they thought that the best place for me was in a ditch somewhere, where I couldn't bother anyone with my oddities or my quirks. People felt uncomfortable around me with my tail, and of course their comfort was paramount. Too bad for them that the reasons they wanted me dead were also the traits that kept me alive. Unnatural strength, speed and agility, heightened senses, and the ability to go for more than a fortnight without food or water. You can't blame them for hating me, really. I was different, and people are scared of things that are different. They looked at my tail like it was an outward manifestation of the devil inside of me. Idiots, right?

So, anyway, there I was, wandering around in minus temperatures, freezing my tail off, in a strange place, without so much as a nickel to my name, and I hadn't eaten in three days. I had learned from experience to keep my tail hidden, curled around my waist inside of my baggy, unflattering clothes, but people were still decidedly unfriendly and unhelpful. There were too many street names and everything was loud and bright and unavoidable. I saw signs in windows with words I'd never heard of, cafes advertising beverages I'd never tasted, and there seemed to be an ungodly variety of coffee to choose from. My first thoughts were that living in the city might be fun, but I soon realised that that was only for people with money. My first night in the city was not spent sipping a soy latte, but rather sleeping in the doorway of a restaurant called the Caffe Marra. When you're in those kind of temperatures for that length of time, your body adapts. It has to. So after a while the cold didn't bother me. But even in the dead of night, the city is still buzzing with life. Have you ever slept in the streets of a major city? Try it and I guarantee that the first time you sleep in a bed afterwards, it will be the single most pleasant experience of your entire life. I sat for hours, attempting to take my mind off of the unbearable cold by memorising the menu. I didn't know much about money, but I could see that the coffee was hideously overpriced. I don't remember much else about that night, only thinking that this was not how I expected freedom to feel.

The next morning I suffered a rude awakening at the hands of a broomstick-weilding hag, shooing me loudly like I was some sort of common house pest. I wouldn't have minded so much if she had used the soft bristles of the broom to move me on, instead of the hard, wooden handle...but we can't have everything we want. Cursing under my breath, I ran off down an unfamiliar street, only stopping when I felt a sharp tug of hunger. I closed my eyes, smelling the air for any sign of food. I caught a whiff of something fresh and exotic and trudged wearily towards the source. It was an early morning market about ten minutes away and I thanked Kami for such a great theiving opportunity. I was a well practiced pick-pocket, the kids at the orphanage and I used to delight in taking things from the mistresses. It was never malicious, it was all just a bit of fun, like we would take their pocket-watches and move them forward an hour, then sneak them back without them realising, so that they were late for everything. It also meant that lights-out was an hour later, which was always a good thing. But I smiled, gratefully, realising that those harmless childhood games would help me now.

I managed to score an apple and some crusty bread before I turned a corner into an area where, I noticed, all of the tendors were male. This didn't mean a thing to me, but I also noticed that every single one of them was looking at me like I was a piece of meat. Assuming that this was because they thought they had spotted a potential customer, I carried on, casing the stalls, looking for any conveniently placed goods that I could swipe. When I was halfway down the row of stalls, the staring was becoming unbearable. Paranoid, I felt around my waist, double-checking that my tail was still out of sight which,  
of course, it was. I frowned, confused, when a male voice from behind me shouted, causing me to spin around quickly in my cautious state,  
"Hey guys, want to flip your eyes back in their sockets? Geez! She's far too young for any of you. Look at her, she can't be older than eighteen!"

I regarded the speaker with a mixture of confusion and grattitude as he approached me. He had long, black hair which fell to his lower back with a kind of deliberate scruffiness and he wore strange orange clothing with a blue belt around his waist that didn't seem to be for holding up his pants at all. As he got closer, I noticed a deep, red scar in the shape of an X on his left cheek. This man was obviously a fighter of some sort, his bulging muscles and training attire told me that much...but he had kind eyes and a casual and friendly gait, which relaxed me some.

"Hi, I'm Yamcha. Sorry about them, they're animals. They don't represent my gender well at all." He made a face and I smiled. He held out a hand in greeting and I shook it, gingerly.  
"I'm Max."  
"Max...you got a second name to go with that?"  
"No. Just Max." I replied, not bothering to go into an explanation. He looked a little bewildered, but the smile never left his face.  
"Just Max...I like it."  
He stepped towards me and I backed away reflexively. He looked hesitant for a moment, before saying,  
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you."  
"Yeah, like you could!" I snapped, but with no real venom. He laughed, clearly appreciating my spunk. He was more than a head taller than me and his arms were about five times the size of mine. It was clear to anyone with half a braincell that he could very easily have hurt me. Of course, that's because they didn't know about my freakishly unnatural strength, but still, it did seem ridiculous, and I couldn't help but smile.  
"You've got guts, kid. Most grown men would never challenge me like that."  
"Well, I can't judge. You're pretty much the first grown man I've ever spoken to, so..."  
"What?" He laughed, clearly thinking that I was joking. When my face remained stoic, he cocked an eyebrow, questioningly. "What do you...where are you from?"  
"Around." I shrugged.  
"Well, you're a mystery."  
"Um...thanks?"  
"So, Max, are you hungry?"  
As if on cue, my stomach growled loudly. I smiled, a little embarrassed. He nodded and gestured for me to follow him.  
"I know this great little place, about ten minutes that way..."  
"It's not called the Caffe Marra, by any chance?"  
"Yeah...you know it?"  
"Kinda...I sort of...slept there last night." I replied, grinning half-heartedly. He masked the look of surprise with a friendly smile.  
"Well, 'just Max'...I think I'm going to HAVE to hear your story now?"  
"Sure...buy me some fancy, overpriced coffee and we could have a deal." I replied, winking.  
"Ok, you're on." He said, the smile never leaving his face. We walked together to the cafe whose cold, concrete doorway had been my pillow, and whose patron had been my human alarm clock, talking nonsense to each other all the way.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Second chapter up :) I've got the writing fever :o Like dance fever, only not as cool...

So this one's all about everyone's favourite Saiyan prince ;) you've gotta love him, right?

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z or any of it's characters, but at least I have nice hair :)

"Oh, Vegeta..."  
I cringed as the lizard's high-pitched, effemanate voice drifted through the open dooway. My two men turned to me with something like fear in their eyes.  
I felt it too, but I would not give the bastard the satisfaction, so I turned around and walked into the room with my back straight and my jaw set. He  
chuckled coldly at my determination and drawled,

"Ah, my dear Prince...take a seat, won't you? I have a delightful proposition for you and your men."  
"I'd rather stand."  
"As you wish...but we could be here a while."  
"Hmph...you say you have a mission for me?" I said, trying to speed things up as much as possible.  
"Yes, one that I'd say you will most likely thank me for. Dedoria here tells me that the scouters have picked up a handful of unusually high power levels  
coming from the planet Earth. We know that they cannot be coming from the natives, they are far too weak to even make a blip on our screens...so I would  
like you and your monkeys to investigate these anomalies."

I bit my tongue at his reference to my men and I as "monkeys", settling for glaring daggers at him. Besides, I had to admit that this mission did  
intrigue me. Most of the errands Frieza sent us on were purging missions, hardly worthy of a true Saiyan. But this one...if there were high power levels  
on this new planet then I may even get a good fight.  
"And what are we to do when we find them?" I asked, with as little venom as I could manage in the face of Frieza.  
"Ask them to join us."  
I smirked.  
"And if they refuse?" I queried, knowing well what his answer would be.

"They have a choice. Comply or die. If they refuse, then you may do with them as you please. But do not damage the planet, I hear it has many resources  
to offer...and Zarbon tells me from his last purging mission that there is some very beautiful scenery...I think we could get a reasonable price for it.  
I will allow you two weeks to carry out your mission and report back to me. You should have taken care of the strongest fighters in a week. Spend the  
rest of the time evaluating the planet's value in terms of appearance and resources."

"Should I factor the artisan skills of the natives into my report?" I asked with as much faux interest as I could muster.  
"Hmmm...if it's of an unusually high quality, then perhaps...yes, do. Besides, the attitude of our current slaves is beginning to bore me. They're just  
not feisty enough anymore..."  
"Master Frieza, if I may..." The large, purple monster towering above the little lizard spoke, and I scowled as he did. Dedoria, besides Frieza, I hated  
him more than anyone.  
"Yes Dedoria?"

"The current slaves are all dead. Remember? You gave the order not to feed them for three months as punishment for their disappointing work-rate."  
"Oh, yes, that's right...well, in that case, Vegeta, I will expect a full assessment of the natives' skills. And if you happen across any particularly  
attractive females...well, we could always use a few more concubines aboard the ship. After all, the men are so much more compliant when they're getting  
laid every night. But the females of these weak species just don't seem to last very long..."  
"Yes, Frieza." I answered, with a small incline of my head, more a nod of acknowledgement than a bow. My lack of respect, apparently, did not go  
unnoticed by Dedoria.

"Arrogant, insolent little monkey prick! You will bow before Master Frieza!"  
"Quiet Dedoria." Frieza silenced him, but not for long.  
"With all due respect, sir, you are far too lenient with the monkey."  
"Watch it, Dedoria." I growled, warningly. Frieza smiled, with cold amusement.  
"You are dismissed, Vegeta. I have arranged for three space pods to leave the ship at 2400 hours. You and your men had better be in them."  
"Yes, Master Frieza." I inclined my head even less this time, hiding my smile as Dedoria growled angrily. I spun around and strode out of the room.

"Well? What did he want, my lord?" I was greeted by Nappa, the large, bald man who had practically raised me, when I left Frieza's chamber.  
"We are to leave tonight for the planet Earth. Apparently there are a few unusually high power levels on the planet that should not be there. We are to  
try and persuade them to join his forces. If they refuse, they are to be taken care of. The planet is not to be damaged."

"He's going to sell it?" Raditz, the smaller of my two companions, with knee-length, jet-black hair, queried.  
"He's going to try. I am to gather statistics regarding the planet's natural resources and the usefullness of the natives as slaves. And we are to take  
the more attractive of the females as whores for the men."  
"How will we know which of the females are attractive? I can never tell with these alien bitches..." Nappa muttered.  
"I've been to Earth once before, with my father, when I was a boy," Raditz ventured, "We sent my brother there as a baby to cleanse the planet of it's  
population, but he must have been killed because he never completed his mission...anyway, from what I can remember, the dominant life forms on the planet  
are humanoid...they are not unlike ourselves, only pathetically weak and tail-less ofcourse..."

"Well that's good news atleast...maybe we can get some good whores after all." Nappa said, happily. I scowled at him and his smile faded.  
"Nappa! You know a true warrior cares about one thing and one thing only, his strength. Do not allow yourself to be weakened by lust. And besides, what  
is the one thing that our race prides above all else, besides power?"  
He lowered his head and I knew I'd struck a nerve, as was always the case whenever our all but extinct way of life was mentioned.  
"Honour." He muttered, solemnly.  
"Exactly, honour. Would a man of honour fulfill his needs with a whore? I think not."  
"You are right, my lord. Forgive me."

I said nothing, simply raised an amused eyebrow and folded my arms tightly across my chest before turning to Raditz.  
"You say your brother was sent to the planet as an infant? Kakarott, wasn't it? Ah, yes, I remember...he was a big noise on Vegeta-sei for a short time.  
The second son of the great warrior, Bardock...no wonder he was chosen for such a task."  
"Yes. It is a pity he did not succeed in his mission."  
"Perhaps not, though. If he had, we would not have the opportunity to escape the depressing dullness of this ship for two whole weeks." I replied, not  
unaware that I had just waved off the death of my companion's only sibling because it bought us a vacation. He did not seem to see it like this, however,  
merely smiling and nodding, respectfully.

"What is the hour?" I asked, turning back to Nappa, who recovered slightly from his earlier shame. He raised a hand to his scouter, engaging it, and  
replied,  
"2347 hours."  
"Right. Go and change, quickly. Meet me in the brig at 2355. We are to leave at 2400 hours, and I do not wish to face Frieza's wrath if we are late or  
miss our flights."  
"Yes, sir." They replied, in Saiyan. I tensed...it was little things like that that still got me. I tried so hard not to think about the destruction of  
my beloved planet...it was, after all, many years ago. I was a child at the time. Frieza had taken me from my father to work for him when I was a boy of  
eight, forcing me to do his bidding for him. When I refused, he threatened to destroy Vegeta-sei and kill my father, the king. So I did everything he  
asked, swallowed my pride, forgot myself, committed such acts of atrocity that would have made my mother weep had she been alive to see it...I did all that  
he told me to, and the bastard blew it up anyway.

He did not know that I was aware that it was he who had destroyed my home, as I pretended to believe the lie he had told me, that a freak meteor shower  
had been the cause of it, but I knew the truth. It was this knowledge, the knowledge that he broke me, stole my childhood, made me a slave, and, ultimately,  
destroyed my world, that kept me going. It was increasingly more difficult with every day to live and serve under the tyrranical lizard, but I was not yet  
strong enough to last five minutes in battle with him, let alone defeat him.

Becoming stronger than Frieza was my single goal in life, and it spurred me onwards, sending me into battles that I could have probably avoided, had I been  
so inclined.

To me, defeating the Ice-jin and avenging my people was the most important thing in the universe, and I intended to make sure that it happened. I just had  
to be patient. I knew that I had the potential...when I was a child on Vegeta-sei, my father told me of a legend, a birth-right that I, as a Saiyan of  
royal heritage, possessed. Super Saiyan. The two words ruled my life from the very moment that I heard them. I knew that it was the thing that Frieza  
feared most of all...it was why he had destroyed my people, for fear that one of us might someday acheive this legendary status. But he had spared me and my  
two companions, ensuring that we were not present when he fired the ki blast that took my past life from me. We were the only three left. I knew that I had  
to do it, I had to become Super Saiyan, it was the only chance I had of possessing enough power to make the Ice-jin truly pay for all of the pain and  
humiliation he had inflicted on me and my race.

As I sat there, in the one-man space-pod, preparing to be launched into the black abyss of space on a straight course for Earth, I smiled to myself as I  
imagined the day when I would stand in front of Frieza, surrounded by yellow flames, my dark brown, spiked hair flashing a rich gold, my ebony eyes a  
fantastic green, electricity running through my veins and crackling over my bulging muscles, all of the power in the universe coursing through me...the look  
on his face when he realised that the only "monkey" he had allowed to survive was the one who was going to pound his hide into the dirt.  
"Yes, Frieza...one day..."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z or any of it's characters, but I've got this pen that writes in all different colours, which is pretty damn cool.

"So, this is coffee?" The mug was sat on the table in front of her and she leaned forward to sniff curiously at it's contents. The young man laughed at  
her strange mannerisms and she rolled her eyes at him. Cautiously, she picked the mug up in both hands and raised it carefully to her mouth, taking a small  
sip. She made a face at the bitterness of the liquid, but enjoyed the warmth that was sent trickling down her throat, so she took another sip. After a few  
more seconds of silence, Yamcha spoke.

"So, Max...what's your story?"  
She looked thoughtful for a moment then said,  
"I don't really know where to start."  
"Well, I usually find it easiest just to start at the beginning."  
"Hmm...it IS a good place to start, I guess...but I don't really know where my beginning should be."  
"Ok...um, what's your last name?"  
"I told you, I don't have a last name."  
"Oh, come on, everyone has a last name..." He said, disbelievingly. After another sip of coffee, she shook her head.  
"I know it's strange, but I don't know my last name. Actually, I don't know much about myself...I was found just wandering the streets when I was a kid  
with no idea who I was or how I got there. The doctors who examined me said it was amnesia caused by blunt force trauma to the skull...so, with no  
name or memories of my past, I was thrown into an orphanage."  
"Kami, that's awful! You don't have any idea who you are?"

She shook her head, a hint of sadness swimming in her beautiful blue eyes. He felt his heart bleed for this incredibly tragic, terribly beautiful creature  
sitting in front of him.  
"So what are you doing now? How did you end up here?"  
"It was my sixteenth birthday a few days ago, so the owner of the orphanage sent me away...she said she got me some work in a glue factory." She wrinkled  
her nose at the thought of it. "But I want to find out who I am, so I said 'Not me, thanks' and took the road to North City instead."  
His jaw dropped slightly as he realised what she meant when she said she had slept in the cafe the night before.  
"So, you just left? You've got no money? No place to live?"  
"Nope. Not a dime." She made a feeble attempt at a smile, but a pained grimace was all she could manage. His face changed from one of disbelief to  
determination. He stood up quickly and said,  
"Max, you're coming with me."  
"I am?"

"Yes...have you heard of the Capsule Corporation?"  
"Sure I have, everyone knows CC...where are you going with this?"  
He smiled, obviously feeling very pleased with himself.  
"Well, my fiancee just so happens to be Bulma Briefs, female genius and vice-president of CC. She owns a huge complex just outside of the city. There are  
three buildings and about eighty guest rooms that are not in use. I'm sure Bulma would be delighted to have a lodger." He beamed at her. She blinked,  
extremely taken-aback at the young man's words.  
"Me? Are you sure? But...why?"  
"Why what?"  
"Why are you being so nice to me? I mean we just met..."  
He shrugged, flashing her a grin.

"I dunno...I guess I just have sympathy for your plight...I can relate to you. I wasn't always engaged to the world's richest woman, y'know. I'm an ex-  
bandit."  
"You were a bandit?" She scoffed, looking disbelievingly at him.  
"And that's so hard to believe?" He raised an eyebrow. She nodded, apologetically. He grinned, pulling something out of his pocket. He dangled the  
necklace in front of her and she gasped, feeling her own neck, comfirming that he had, in fact, got past her guard. Instinctive panic washed over her and  
she leapt forward and grabbed it from his grasp.

He recoiled slightly in confusion at her reaction, then gasped in shock when he saw the orb in her hands  
glow a brilliant white at her touch. When he had held it, it looked like a black, empty, marble. Now, he squinted to get a good look, now it looked like  
there was a tiny galaxy swirling slowly around in it's midnight blue depths.  
"What...what is that?"  
"It's mine. It's the only connection I have to my past. They found it on me when I was a child. They were planning on taking it from me and selling it  
but I guess I put up more of a fight than they had expected...and besides, it only reacts to me, so it would have been worthless to them."  
"I've never seen anything like it...I don't think it could be from this planet..."

"What? That's ridiculous!"  
"No, it's not. See, a few of my friends and I..." With a deep breath he sat back down in his chair. This could take a while. "We are with the Earth's  
Special Forces. It's a secret organization put in place to protect the Earth from the threat of alien invasion. You see, the theory that 'we are not  
alone' has been proved countless times in the past...it's just been hidden from the general public, that's all."  
"Cool...so...how many other planets are there with life on them?"  
"Thousands."

The information stunned her into silence for a moment. She fondled the pendant, thoughtfully. The more she thought about it...the more the theory that  
there are other planets out there, and that she could very well be from one of them, seemed more and more likely. The tail, the mysterious orb, her super  
strength and speed, her natural ability for combat, her heightened senses...yes, it made sense. She looked at the kind young man sitting across from her,  
his eyes fixed on the glowing orb in her hands. She considered telling him her theory, but quickly decided against it. After all, didn't he say that he and  
his friends protect the Earth against aliens? And she had just landed on her feet, somehow scoring a place to live after only a night out on the streets.

"Hmm...so...am I going to meet these friends of yours, or are we going to sit around admiring my jewellery all day?"

He looked up slowly, seemingly tearing himself out of a trance. He smiled when his eyes met hers, and nodded.  
"Sure thing, kiddo. Come on, first thing's first. We'll get you to CC and you can have a shower and change out of those rags...I'm sure Bulma will have  
some old clothes to fit you."

AN: Ugh, I hate these chapters, where you have to introduce the characters and whatnot...slows down the story soooo much...but anyhoo, I have a clear-ish idea of where the story's going, so you shouldn't have to wait long for the next chapter ;) and PLEEEAAASE review!

I'm new to this game so any kind of input you have would be helpful :) thanks x


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z or any of it's characters, but I do own a Picollo keyring...it's sooo cool, he floats and everything...that's the main thing, isn't it?

We stood outside of the huge building, and I turned to look at Yamcha, who was grinning in amusement at my disbelief.  
"This is...where I'm going to live?" I asked, hardly daring to say it out loud. He nodded, with a smile.  
"It is."  
"But it's...I mean...are you sure this is ok?"  
"Of course. Bulma may be a millionaire but she's pretty grounded. She'd do anything to help someone in need." I shot him a warning look at this.  
"I'm not in need." I snarled. "But it would be rude not to accept your generous hospitality. I am grateful for it, but I do not NEED help from anyone. I'm not a charity case, Yamcha. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."  
"Of course you are, that's not what I meant...it was just an expression." He replied, with an apologetic look. I did not like to be short with him, but I could tell that he understood how his words had wounded my pride. "Well, would you like to meet your hostess?"

I nodded, grateful that the awkward moment had passed, and I flashed him a smile to let him know that his silent apology had been accepted. He told me towait outside for a few minutes while he formally introduced me to Bulma and her family. I paced around, nervously, knowing from experience not to get my hopes up, and count my chickens before they hatched. There was still a chance that this Bulma woman would not be happy with the idea of a strange orphan girl staying in her house. I mean, in all of my years at the orphanage, no one else had wanted to share their home with me. I had become used to rejection, so I mentally prepared myself for the worst. If no one had wanted me before, why should this family be any different? I strained my sensitive ears, but the walls of the Capsule Corporation building appeared to be sound-proof.

Two minutes passed, each of them lasting an eternity, before the door that Yamcha had disappeared behind opened again. He strode out, beaming at me. I managed a small smile in return, looking anxiously over his shoulder at the figure still standing in the doorway.  
"Max, this is Bulma Briefs, beauty and brains behind the Capsule Corporation." I inclined my head, respectfully. "Bulma, honey, this is Max."  
The young woman walked forward into the light and I saw her for the first time. She was extremely pretty, with shoulder-length blue hair and large blue eyes. She strode confidently towards me and stood in front of me, apparently examining me. She thrust out a hand and I took it, gingerly, shaking it.

"Hi, Max. So, Yamcha here tells me that you're in a bit of a fix at the mo. On behalf of the Briefs family, I would like to extend a formal invitation for you to stay with us for as long as you need."  
"Thankyou, Miss Briefs. I humbly accept your invitation. I hope it is not too much trouble."  
"No trouble at all, Max. And call me Bulma."  
"Ok, Bulma." I replied with a smile, relaxing a little. This woman seemed nice enough.  
"Better." I beamed at her and she smiled, though her smile quickly faded and was replaced by a frown as she looked me up and down.  
"Now...first thing's first...what are you wearing?"

"Um...I'm not sure, to be honest. The wardrobes at the orphanage weren't exactly overflowing with hault-couture."  
"Hm, I can see...well, follow me. If there's one thing I know about, it's fashion. And, you know, the science of robotics, but mostly fashion."  
"Ok, lead the way."

Yamcha smiled at me from behind Bulma and gave me the thumbs-up sign. I returned his smile and he laughed.  
"Well, I can see that you two ladies have a lot to talk about, so I'll make myself scarce."  
"Oh, no you don't. We're having a party tonight to celebrate Max's arrival, and, if what Yamcha tells me is true, your sixteenth birthday too."  
I was thoroughly taken-aback by this.

"A party? For me? Wow...I've never had a party before. What are they like?"  
"Well, you just call up your friends and invite them round, and then you have music and dancing and cake...it's fun, you'll see."  
"But, I don't have any friends..." I started. Bulma grinned.

"Sure you do. You just haven't met them yet, that's all." She winked at me and turned to Yamcha. "So, mister, I want you to call a few people. I'm sure Goku and Krillan will be free...probably better to leave Master Roshi off of the guest list this time, though, if it can be helped...hey, why don't you ask Tien and Chiatsou? We haven't seen them in a while."  
"Sure, that sounds good. I'll get on it right away." He said, turning and disappearing back into the house.  
"Well, Max, let's get you ready for your first party."

She led me to her room, which was bigger than an entire floor of the orphanage. I could barely conceal my astonishment, but didn't want to seem too out of my depth. She giggled at my attempt at keeping my face stoic.

"Don't worry, you don't have to pretend to be something that you're not. Your face is so expressive, you show every emotion you're feeling to the world without thinking about it...that's such a good quality. People will like that about you."  
"I've never thought of it as being a good thing before. To show your weaknesses to people...nd my inability to think before I speak or act has only ever gotten me into trouble before. I have like, no filtering system."  
"You don't have to hide your weaknesses, Max. You're a girl. Guys like it when girls show weakness, it makes them feel like they have to protect us. So they're happy cause they get to feel all masculine and we're happy cause we've got a hunky man to watch our backs. It's a win-win sitch."

I frowned slightly. I had never had anyone to look out for me before I met Yamcha, and now Bulma. It was so foreign to me, but I guessed I could get used to it. I nodded.  
"Ok, I can deal with that."

"Yeah...but what I can't deal with are these clothes, and the dirt on your face. The bathroom's through that door. The shower's easy enough to work, it'svoice activated, so you just say "Run" to get it to start and "stop" to stop. It's pretty straightforward. You can change the water temperature with "up" and "down". Once your done, there are towels on the hand rail. While your busy in there, I'll look out some clothes for you.I'm sure I still have some old gems from when I was your age."  
"Ok..." I walked in the direction of the door she had pointed to and stopped when I reached it. I looked back to see her already rummaging in her huge closet. "Bulma?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Thankyou. For everything."  
She smiled,  
"Don't mention it. I'm happy to help."

Nodding, I opened the door and gasped, yet again, at the sight of the beautifully furnished bathroom. Everywhere I looked was gleaming glass surfaces or highly polished silver or shining white porcelain.  
"Wow..." I whispered to myself, drinking in the sight before me.

After my shower, I dried myself quickly and wrapped the towel around me, firmly, winding my tail around my right thigh, before walking back into the bedroom. When I got there, I saw Bulma standing before a huge pile of clothes, looking fairly pleased with herself.  
"I was right, I've got plenty of outfits here that I'm sure will look great on you. It's times like this when I praise Kami for my great fashion sense."  
"Wow...that's a lot of clothes." I exclaimed. "What will I wear tonight?"  
"I'm glad you asked. Well, I thought that these," She laid out a pair of black, leather pants with lace up the side of the leg,"would look great with this," next to the pants she placed a floaty black top with diamontes around the plunging neckline. I raised an eyebrow slightly. Did she really expect me to pull these off? I had never worn anything like them! All of my clothes had been second hand, and made for people a lot larger than me. She obviously saw my scepticism because she gave me a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, you're going to look so hot in these."  
"Hot? What does temperature have to do with anything?"  
She looked as though she was about to burst out laughing.  
"Nothing, silly. Hot means...like...sexy." She explained. I blushed deeply, both at my ignorance and the thought that I could look..."hot".  
"Oh. I am sorry, I have never heard that expression before. I guess I really have missed out on a lot since I've been in the orphanage."  
"Well, don't worry about it, you've got a lifetime of freedom now, and you can pick up all you need to know from me and my friends. I think you'll fit in just fine. Now, quick. try on these clothes! I can't wait to see what you look like!"

Several hours later, after Bulma had arranged for a woman that she called her "Stylist" to do my hair and make-up, another first for me, I heard a knock on the door of the bedroom that was to be mine. I smiled, opening the door only to find Bulma, whose jaw dropped at the sight of me.

"Wow...Max...I don't know what to say! I didn't realise just how much potential you had! You put ME to shame! And, not that I'm big-headed or anything, but there are not many women I know who could pull that off. I'm so proud!"

I blushed at her compliments and she let out a squeal of excitement, before hugging me tightly. I stiffened at first, unused to the physical contact, but relaxed and returned the friendly embrace. She stepped back, still holding me by my shoulders and looked me up and down.  
"Yes, yes, very nice...hmm, what's with the belt, though? That definitely needs to go."  
"Huh...?" By the time I realised that the belt she was referring to was, in fact, my tail coiled in it's position around my waist, she had already reached down and tugged it not-so-gently. I yelled in agony and jumped backwards into the room and my tail uncoiled itself reflexively, waving around in plain sight. I looked up at Bulma, terrified of what her reaction would be.

"Oh my word...so you have a tail too, huh?" Her response shocked me more than any other could have. I blinked rapidly and gave her a thoroughly questioning look.  
"Too? Who else...?"  
"My friend, Goku...or, at least he did have when he was younger. He had it removed as a boy, though."  
I winced, unable to hide the great discomfort I felt at the thought of having my tail removed...the pain must be excruciating!  
"He...he did? You mean...I'm not an alien?" I said this last part quietly, not quite sure whether or not I was ready to voice my fears.  
"Oh, I wouldn't go quite so far to say that you are one hundred per cent human...I've always had my doubts about Goku...say, you don't transform into a giant ape when you see the full moon, do you?"  
"What? No! What kind of question is that? Wait, does your friend do that?"  
"Hmm...he did, but he stopped after his tail was cut off. I wonder why you don't?"  
"Maybe it's different."  
"Maybe...I'm not so sure though. I mean, your tail looks almost exactly the way Goku's did! Only it's longer, what with you being older and all...maybe it's because you're a woman? Maybe only the males of the species transform. Or maybe you have another trigger..."

I watched as the cogs of her brilliant mind whirred and clanked as she tried to figure out the same thing I was. Then, all of a sudden, she started.  
"Wait...why did you hide it? Why did you keep it wrapped around your waist this whole time?"  
"I...I just...I've always had a hard time fitting in anywhere because of it, and I didn't want to screw this up. Plus, Yamcha said that he and his friends fought aliens, and since I don't know what I am yet, I figured it was safer just to keep quiet about it."  
She looked taken aback by my explanation.  
"Silly, we would never hurt YOU. They only fight aliens if they just so happen to come to Earth with plans for planetary annihilation or hostile takeovers and things like that. Evil aliens. Evil humans, too. They protect the Earth and it's inhabitants, they don't hunt them down just because they're a bit different."  
"Well, I'm glad to hear that."

"Good. Ok, so we know that you don't transform like Goku...do you have any other superhuman abilities? You know, enhanced strength...things like that?"  
"Yeah, there's that, and my super speed, and my heightened senses. Plus my stamina, and the fact that I can jump from one hundred feet high buildings and land on my feet without breaking a single bone. Oh, and I'm a very skilled fighter, although I have never before trained to be one...I knew all of these things were strange, but the thought that I'm inhuman just never occured to me. I don't FEEL any different on the inside..."  
"Well, honey, you're not. And the super powers just go to prove my theory that you and Goku are of the same race...whatever that may be...and don't let this whole thing get to you. It doesn't change who you are...in fact, Goku just happens to be the nicest person that I know."  
I brightened at this. I couldn't believe how readily she had accepted me. I had never come across anybody like that in my entire existence, and I had never been so grateful for anything for as long as I could remember.

"Now...are you ready to meet Goku and the others?"  
"They're here?"  
"They just arrived two minutes ago. They can't wait to meet you." I nodded, and swallowed hard. I couldn't remember ever being nervous about anything before, and I hated the fluttery feeling in my stomach, but I steeled myself against it and followed Bulma down the corridor. She turned to look at me, and, seeing my tail curled back around my waist, she sighed.

"You don't have to do that, you know."  
"I know...I just...I'd like them to get to know me first...not my tail."  
She thought about this for a moment, then nodded.  
"OK, I guess I can understand that. I won't say anything about it until you're ready."  
"Thankyou. I appreciate it."  
"Now come on, lighten up! This is your first party! It's going to be great." She winked at me and continued walking. I smiled as I followed her into a large dining area where we were quickly greeted by many new faces.

"Hi, you must be Max, how do you do? I'm Krillan." A small man with a gleaming, bald head shook my hand enthusiastically. I smiled weakly at him, unsure how to react to being the centre of attention. A reassuring look from Bulma relaxed my muscles slightly and I replied.  
"Hi, it's lovely to meet you."  
He beamed at me before being shoved aside by a larger man, also with a bald head and, I managed to stifle a small gasp of surprise, a third eye, exactly where the so-named chakra is positioned, on his forhead.

"Hey, Max, I'm Tien. This is the young emperor, Chiatsou." He gestured to a small boy standing beside him. He looked so odd, but incredibly cute, with pure alabaster skin, marred only by two, perfectly circular, rosy cheeks. I thought that he looked like a porcelain doll with his fine little features.  
I inclined my head respectfully towards the young emperor, before turning back to Tien to return his words of greeting.  
"Hello, it's nice to meet you."  
"Hey, Max, how you faring? I have to say, you look incredible. My girl sure did a number on you, huh?" I beamed at the familiar face grinning at me.  
"Thanks, Yamcha. Everyone's just been so lovely to me...have to say, it's kinda creeping me out." He laughed rauciously at my humour and slapped me on the back.  
"Hey, have you met Goku, yet?"

"No..." I replied, looking around with sudden interest.  
"Hey, Goku! Come over here!"  
A young man who was currently bent over the buffet table, stuffing his face so quickly that I couldn't make out what he was eating or how he had time to swallow without choking to death, stood up quickly, looked over towards us and grinned widely, before phasing out and appearing before us.  
"Wow, that was fast!" I exclaimed, unable to hide my surprise. He laughed at my exclamation, thrusting a hand out to grab my own.  
"Thanks! I'm Goku! You must be Max. Wow, you sure are prettier than Bulma let on, heh-heh." He gave me a goofy smile and scratched the back of his head, clearly embarrased about what he had just said.

"Um, thanks. I, uh, like your hair." I told him, truthfully. He beamed at me and Yamcha opened his mouth to say something, but Bulma appeared beside him and demanded that he dance with her. He gave me a weak smile and allowed himself to be led away. I caught Bulma's eye and she gave me a secret smile. I knew she had deliberately left me on my own with Goku.

"So, Max, how have you been enjoying your time in the CC?"  
"Huh? Oh, it's been great, everyone's so nice. So...uh...how do you know Bulma and Yamcha?"  
"Oh, Bulma and I grew up together. We had some crazy adventures as kids, hunting for dragonballs and-"  
"Dragonballs?" I cut in. I couldn't say why, but the word stirred something in the back of my mind. There was something that I was supposed to know about, but it was lurking just out of reach, somewhere in the sea of my sub-conscious. My hand moved of it's own volition to the pendant hanging around my neck.

"Yeah, you've heard of them?"  
"Hmm...no, I guess not. I thought I...but no. What are they?"  
"Well, it's kinda difficult to explain, but basically, there are seven dragonballs on earth, and when all of them are gathered together, a dragon can be summoned and he grants the summoner one wish."  
"Wow...so it's like Alladin and his Genie...only not as good, cause he only had to get the one lamp, and he got three wishes."  
"Hmm...yeah, I guess. But Alladin couldn't wish for people to brought back from the dead."  
"You can resurrect the dead with the dragonballs?"  
"Oh, sure. But there are limitations...like you can't wish anyone back if they've been gone for more than a year, and you can't wish anyone back more than once...things like that."  
"Wow...that's pretty wild. What did you wish for?"  
"Oh, uh, I wished Tien back."

"Tien died?"  
"Yeah, in battle with the Demon King Picollo."  
"Wow...awesome!"  
"Heh heh." He laughed awkwardly and I realised that I was probably being a little insensitive.  
"Sorry...I just meant..."  
"Hey, don't worry about it. I know, it is kinda awesome."  
"Yeah...um, Goku?" I didn't know why, exactly, but I felt like I could trust this man with my secret.  
"Yeah?"  
"Can I...can I show you something? In private?"  
He looked unsure, but nodded.

"Sure...is something the matter?"  
"No...not really, I just...please?" I gestured towards the door and he smiled warmly and I followed him outside into the cool night air. Once we were a good distance away from the party, he turned to me again.  
"Ok, what did you want to show me?"

I took a deep breath, and slowly unfurled my tail. His eyes widened in shock, and he made a small noise of surprise, before smiling widely again.  
"Hey, you've got one too! That's strange, I thought I was the only one."  
"Yeah, me too. Bulma told me about you, she said you had yours cut off when you were younger...yowtch!"  
"Yeah, I was just a kid, but I can still remember how painful it was. It was agony! For a split second, and then the pain was gone. My tail spot's still pretty sensitive though...last year I took a round-house kick to the lower back and ended up laid up in bed for a week! And that was from Krillan!"

I laughed at the thought of this, and he flashed me the same goofy grin he had before. We laughed together for a few more seconds before he stopped abruptly and looked out over the horizon, a small frown creasing his forehead.

"What's wrong?" I asked, suddenly fearful of his seriousness.  
"I can sense something's not right...there are three new, very high power levels coming towards the Earth as we speak. They will be here by the morning."  
"What? How can you...?" Deciding against asking stupid questions, I shook my head and turned my thoughts to devising a plan. "What will we do?"  
He looked at me, surprised.

"You won't have to do anything, me and the other Z fighters will take care of it."  
"I want to help. I can fight."  
He started to laugh but I stepped closer to him, my eyes alight with fierce determination.  
"Please. Just let me prove myself to you."  
"But, Max, you're just a kid...and you're a girl."  
"And you're just being sexist and over protective. Just give me a chance. Spar with me, and I'll show you."  
"I'm not going to-"  
I cut him off by sinking into a fighting stance, facing him.

"Ok, but if I hurt you, don't blame me. I can't always control my strength."  
I nodded curtly, secretly pleased at hearing that he would not be holding back. Then we began. I sent a flying kick to his head, which he dodged easily, as I suspected he would, and aimed a chop at the back of my head, which would have knocked me out, had it made contact, but I flipped backwards, flying over his head. He blinked, surprised at this, before we launched a flurry of physical attacks at each other. By the end of the friendly fight it was clear to both of us that we were pretty evenly matched. Panting, he sat back on the grass, giving me an appraising look.

"Well, Max, I must say I am impressed. I am the strongest of the Z fighters, and you didn't miss a beat with me."  
I sat beside him, nodding, too tired to speak. As we sat there, a mutual understanding passed between us, and I knew that we would be good friends for a very long time. For the first time in my life, I had found someone who was just like me. A friend, an equal...a brother.

"What now?" I asked when I got my breath back.  
"We will leave CC tonight and fly over to Roshi's Island. That is where I train. If I am correct, these new threats will seek out our power levels and find us, and we will be prepared for them."  
"OK. When will we tell the others?"  
"They already know. They can sense it too."  
"That's cool. Can you teach me?"  
"Sure!"  
"How long will it take?"  
"A couple of hours...well, actually it depends how intelligent you are...it took me two hours thirty minutes, so it's kinda subjective."

And then I set about learning the technique that would serve me well for the rest of my days. It took me fifteen minutes to grasp it.

AN: Next chapter will be up soon...please R&R, it makes me all happy on the inside (yn) xxx


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